


Strong, Honourable, Interesting, Elegant, Loyal, and Devoted.

by SerialObsessor (ibelieveinturtles)



Series: Soul to Soul [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bucky Barnes is an idiot, F/M, Games, Gen, I think maybe this is crack, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Soulmate-Identifying Marks, WinterShock - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-06
Packaged: 2018-07-29 17:55:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7693906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibelieveinturtles/pseuds/SerialObsessor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky's happy to keep running, and Darcy couldn't fool anyone if she tried.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strong, Honourable, Interesting, Elegant, Loyal, and Devoted.

**Author's Note:**

> Argh, I got stuck on another fic and then this popped out. And Age of Ultron happened to be on Foxtel for the umpteenth time.

He’d been free from Hydra for more than 2 years now but he was well aware that they were still out there, and he knew for certain that they wanted him back. The Words that had appeared on his lower back 6 months after he’d broken conditioning and started remembering that he was A Person, told him so. There was no way he was going to let that happen though. He didn’t care that his romantic soulmate was going to be a Hydra agent he decided, they would be dead within seconds of uttering those words. Talk about being utterly betrayed by the whole goddamned universe. He was not going to take that shit any more.

He hadn’t told Steve yet. Everything had happened so quickly and even after being triggered, and losing his arm again, and then the barely endurable eternity spent in that damn car with Steve and Wilson he still hadn’t found a suitable moment. It just gave him another reason to willingly go back into cryo. He was going to avoid meeting his soulmate as if she had the plague, which, if she was Hydra, she probably did.

 

Darcy had long ago come to terms with not having a romantic soulmark. Plenty of people didn’t have one and they got along just fine. She felt it gave her the freedom to choose her own relationships. She still fell in love, fell out of love, saved the world, ended up on an evil secret society's hit list, made some wonderful friends, and surrounded herself with a family of amazing people. Then, about 6 months after Shield crashed and burned, Words emblazoned themselves across her ribs and suddenly she found herself wondering what she was going to do to deserve such words. All she could hope for was either a huge misunderstanding or maybe a surprise party or something similar. And then when Natasha caught sight of them one afternoon, she thought maybe they’d start forcing her into undercover missions. Natasha laughed at that and informed Darcy that her skills of deception would need to improve by very large magnitudes for that to ever happen, and Nat would be more than willing to correct whoever it was who had the nerve to accuse Darcy of such things. So Darcy promised not to worry about her words too much and Nat promised to never send her undercover unless they needed an obvious distraction. They then proceeded to bond playing games about frogs, dragons, candy and words on their phones.

Not too long after that Tony Stark accidentally created a murder bot, the Avengers saved the planet again and Thor left in a blaze of rainbow bridgey goodness after bringing Jane and Darcy to the new Avengers facility for Reasons. Darcy didn’t know what the Reasons were but they had free food and accommodation and Jane had access to unlimited equipment and Flying Machines which could take her anywhere she needed to be with just an hour or so warning. They settled in, made new friends and consolidated their family.

Then the shit really hit the fan. Those stupid accords, former Hydra assassins, and their family split in two. Jane ranted for a whole afternoon, and then Something pinged on one of her machines and she took off to Somewhere on the other side of the planet. Possibly a different hemisphere as well. Darcy chose to remain and monitor the equipment and the situation and put her slightly rusty hacking skills to good use by working subversively against the accords in whatever manner she could. Which didn't actually take much effort at all, as the accords were seriously flawed, and breached so many basic human rights, that they were effectively unenforceable. Countries were already beginning to withdraw their support left, right and center, so it wasn’t long before they were dismissed in their entirety (and, in a lot of places, burned to ashes) and all the renegade superheroes were welcomed home with open arms and huge parties everywhere. At a special request from Natasha she’d also started the wheels turning to have Bucky Barnes declared a returned POW, declared innocent of all actions performed under Hydras brainwashing and have all rights etc. returned to him. Oh, and the backpay. She was going to make damn sure that Captain America’s best buddy was going to get all the good things that he deserved.

 

When Bucky opened his eyes the first thing he saw was the ecstatic face of his best friend.

“We’re going home Buck. And we’re gonna get you fixed.” The smile was blinding.

 

Darcy yawned as she opened up the game on her phone. It had been a long day getting everything organised for the return of Captain America and his cronies, and now she just wanted 5 minutes to check her dragons and see if there was anything new to breed for. To her absolute delight there was a new dragon and it was a matter of just a few minutes to find out what the breeding combination was. Then she laughed and laughed and laughed, before going to find Nat straight away, because this was either a brilliant piece of trolling or something to get really worried about.

 

It was early evening when the jet landed at the new Avengers facility and everyone was exhausted. The flight had been long, crowded and uncomfortable, as Steve had simply loaded everyone onto the jet as soon as he’d gotten the go ahead, and brought them all along with him for the ride to bring his best friend home.

Natasha and Vision were waiting for them as they exited the vehicle and welcome home hugs were exchanged with varying degrees of enthusiasm. As they filed off to the Avengers private common area for food and refreshment, Bucky made an impulsive (irrational?) decision, and took the opportunity to pull Natasha aside and show her his soulmark. If there was anyone other than him that could sniff out a damned Hydra mole, it would be her. She took a long, calculating look at it before staring him directly in the eye.

“How long have you had this?” she asked.

“Couple of years now. “ he stared impassively right back at her.

She nodded at him. “Right. Thanks for showing me. “

She started to walk off, then paused and turned back. “Does Steve know?”

He shook his head. “Never found the right moment.” She nodded again, and he followed her inside.

Most of their companions had found food, and were strewn over chairs and lounges by the time he and Natasha caught up, but Bucky preferred to remain standing, with Steve next to him, as he ate. He was bone weary but on edge still, unable to relax just yet. There were too many people around, most of whom he knew only from the airport 'incident'. Gradually they began to leave, off to find showers and beds, and he could feel his tension beginning to ease, when a new body swept into the room and after a quick look around the room headed straight for Natasha.

 

Darcy pushed through the door and looked around the room. She vaguely noted the presence of a couple of people she didn’t know as she spotted Natasha and headed straight for her.

“Nat! Nat, there’s a new dragon and you’re either gonna love it or hate it.”

He watched as the strange woman slid into the seat next to Natasha, who proceeded to pull out her phone, and the two women bent their heads in a brief conversation before the newcomer got up again, and walked directly towards where he and Steve were standing.

Darcy was too busy looking at her phone to watch where she was going, but she half turned back to where Nat was sitting as her friend called after her.

“What was the first one Darcy?”

“Hail.” Darcy replied, turning back.

“And the second one?”

“Hydra.” She answered and then she ran smack bang into a solid chest and before she could blink there was a fucking gun being held to her fucking head as a cold, hard voice growled, “I don’t know how you’ve managed to fool all these people for so long but it ain’t gonna work on me sweetheart.”

As she instinctively raised her hands, dropping her phone, it felt like chaos erupted around her, except that it was just Steve yelling, whilst the couple of stragglers still on the lounges sat up in shock at the sudden commotion. The strange man in front of her glaring so hard that she was sure he was burning a hole right through her skull and Natasha was… Natasha was slowly getting up from the table, casually grabbing a piece of fruit from the bowl on the table and wandering over to stand next to Darcy.

“Put the gun away Barnes, you don’t need it.” she said as she bent down and picked Darcy's phone up.

Barnes?? This was Bucky Barnes? Bucky fucking Barnes was pointing a fucking gun at her fucking head?? Steve’s best friend, who had said her words and pushed a gun against her head!

“What the hell is going on here?” Steve demanded.

“She’s Hydra.” Bucky growled.

“What?! No, she’s one of us. Buck, this is Darcy Lewis, she’s Doctor Foster’s assistant, and our friend.“

“She’s Hydra.” Bucky insisted. “Didn’t you you just hear her? She said ‘Hail HYDRA!’ right in front of me.”

“What!? No!” Darcy squeaked.

“Calm down.” Natasha put her hand top of Bucky’s and met his eyes with a clear gaze. “She’s not Hydra. She was just answering a couple of questions I was asking her.”

“Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?” Steve demanded.

“They’re soulmates.” Nat said, taking a bite of the fruit she was still holding in her other hand.

“What? But wait, Bucky doesn’t have any other words.”

“I do now.” Bucky said as he finally lowered the gun, and as Nat handed her phone back to her, Darcy realised she'd stopped breathing, so decided that this would be a really good time to take up that particular hobby again.

“And you didn’t tell me?” Steve’s voice was starting to rise in pitch, and Darcy was positive there was the faintest hint of a whine there too.

“Didn’t exactly get the right opportunity.” Bucky said.

“But you found time to show Natasha?!” Steve was definitely whining now, albeit very indignantly.

“Steve…” Bucky turned around to face his friend. “I just… I couldn’t find the right time to tell you. And, I only showed Natasha when we arrived cause I figured she could help me out if I needed it.”

“What, you think I wouldn’t help you?” now Steve was starting to sound offended, as well as whiny, and Darcy had had enough.

“Right. That’s it, I’m done, I’m out. You guys finish your little spat, I’m going to bed.” She said, and then gave an excellent demonstration of stomping out of the room.

They all watched her leave, and then Bucky sighed, “Well, I fucked that up good and proper didn’t I?”

Then he looked at Natasha and narrowed his eyes. “You knew it was her.”

“Well I’ll admit I recognised the writing but I had no idea why she would say that until she came in just then.” Nat shrugged.

“Yeah, what exactly was that about?” Steve asked.

“It’s a game we play. You should go and talk to her about it. I bet you’ll be level 10 before the end of the week.”

Bucky sighed again and absent mindedly ran his hand through his hair. Or at least he would have, if he still had it. He tried again with the other hand.

“Where will I find her?” he asked, but Nat was looking at her phone.

“Leave it until the morning.” Nat said as she looked up and waved her phone at them. “That was Darcy, she says if anyone tries to disturb her tonight she has her taser fully charged and won't hesitate to use it.”

Steve thumped Bucky on the shoulder, “Good job Buck, you haven't been back an hour and you're already putting the dames offside. C'mon, let's go get cleaned up, and grab some shut eye. You can deal with this tomorrow.”

 

Darcy texted Natasha before she even got back to her room, and then she texted Jane, who being on the other side of the world was probably just about to go to bed after a long night of whatever it was she was doing.

DL _: So I just met my soulmate and the first thing he did was put a gun to my head._

JF: _OMFG What??? Who is it??_

DL _: It’s Bucky Barnes._

JF: _Holy shit Darce._

DL _: I know right?? And I’m pretty sure that Nat set me up somehow._

JF: _Do you need me to come back and kick his ass for you?_

Wow. Darcy blinked in surprise. Jane was offering to abandon her research trip to come and kick her soulmates butt?

DL _: I’m pretty sure I can do that myself but thanks, that’s really sweet of you. You stay there, I can take care of this._

JF: _OK, well you know what to do if you change your mind._

DL _: I will let you know. Now you go science!_

Darcy couldn’t decide who she was angrier at. Nat for her obvious betrayal, Bucky for putting a gun to her head, or Steve, for managing to make the whole incident about him. Well, for now she could distribute the rage equally, and change it up as the situation developed.

 

When she opened her door the next morning the second object of her displeasure was waiting in the hallway. She just looked at him, letting all of her ire seep out in his general direction, and taking the opportunity to get a good look at him this time. He was wearing jeans and what looked like one of Steve's too-tight t-shirts, longish dark hair pushed back from his face. She’d been a teensy bit distracted the previous night due to the whole gun-at-her-head thing, and hadn't realised that her newly discovered soulmate was Hot. Nope, she wasn’t going to let him distract her with his hot body, she wasn't letting the gun thing go just yet. And she was gonna make him talk first.

After a minute or two of waiting for him to speak, and being disappointed, she rolled her eyes at him and started walking down the hallway.

“Please, wait. I’m sorry.”

She stopped walking and turned around. “For what?” she demanded.

He chewed on his bottom lip and ran his hand through his hair. “For putting a gun to your head and thinking you were Hydra.” He said, looking at the floor.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Show me.”

He looked up then, startled. “What?”

“Your words, I want to see them.” she said. “Please?” she added after a moments hesitation.

“They’re on my back.” He said, as he turned around. “Probably be easier if you do it...”

She stepped towards him, and was surprised to find herself feeling nervous all of a sudden. She took a deep breath, and then lifted his shirt.  She frowned. “You really are an idiot aren't you?” she said.

“What?” he looked confused, and possibly offended. She didn't care yet.

“They don't say Hail HYDRA!, they say Hail. Hydra.” she explained, but from the blank look on his face she realised that he probably wouldn't be able to understand the difference until she wrote it down for him.

“Come with me.” she told him as she headed for the lab, without waiting to see if he was actually following her or not.

She went straight to her desk and pulled off a hot pink sticky note from the cube, and then rummaged around for a pen. She could never find a pen. Then she wrote on the note, and slapped it on the hand she asked him to hold out.

“Now do you understand the difference?” she said. “I mean seriously, you were with them for like, a million years, did you never hear the way they say it? Like, up close? Cos I have. And I tell you, they definitely pronounce Hydra with all capital letters and an exclamation mark.”

He looked at her, steadily this time, with just a hint of something that she decided was awe (ok, it was probably more like 'oh my god this woman is crazy, maybe I should just run away right now.')

“And Steve thinks my brain is scrambled.” he said, (damn! It was the crazy option) but there was the slightest hint of a smile wandering around the corner of his mouth, and something in her stomach flipped over. Maybe it wasn't worth being angry at him. After all, he couldn't help what had happened to him.

She grinned, “Sounds like we'll make a good pair then.” 

To her delight, and further stomach flip-flopping, he grinned back at her.

“So do you wanna explain this whole misunderstanding to me then?”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> So the game Darcy and Nat are playing is Dragonvale. In May this year they release a Shield dragon, the breeding combination being a fixed combo of the Hail dragon and the Hydra dragon. At the time, I thought it was hilarious (ok, I still do) and when I got a bit stuck on the next chapter of Captain Bucky, I couldn't resist writing this fic.


End file.
